Temple of the Other
by Bec Le
Summary: Even Oncoming Storms need a place of refuge.
1. His Favorite Place To Be

His Favorite Place to Be

He used to love sitting in the temple of the Other. It was always inviting and warm (at least by Gallifreyan standards) and was always full of streams of endless light, no matter if it was noon or midnight. Wonderful smells coasted through at random, catching one's tongue and nose and occasionally making one sneeze.

Exotic flowers bloomed in the doorways, silver trees glittered here and there, and through the wide windows, the mountains of Wild Endeavour glowed with scarlet grass under the orange sky.

As a student at the Academy and even after he had graduated and moved on to other things, the Temple was where he fled for refuge when on Gallifrey.

He had come there after realizing that Koschei loved him, and let the lights play on his face and hands as he marveled that he was wanted by someone. He had come there when Koschei had pushed him away, saying he never wanted to see him again…and wondered then why he had been so deluded as to believe someone could want him.

Even after having run away from home with Susan in tow, the Temple was always a place he visited (if he wasn't escaping obligations.)

The last time he'd been there, he'd been avoiding Romana and her preparations for war. He was of a negative view on the subject, and sensed that the rest of the Council and even Romana herself were only creating stop-gap measures to slow the inevitable.

He had lain on the floor of that old Temple, his beloved place to disappear to, and had let the light in the windows crawl over his prone form and those smells make him sneeze all over again.


	2. The Last President of Gallifrey

The Last President of Gallifrey

That was where Romana had found him. Flat on the floor in the Temple of the Other with his eyes closed, humming a complicated and ancient Gallifreyan melody to himself that even she'd forgotten.

She smiled sadly. She had not come here to calm Theta's restless spirit, or to comfort him when things had never looked darker for Gallifrey.

"Theta?"

He stopped humming, opened his eyes, and stood up, straightening his frock coat.

"President, I…"

She lifted a hand to stop him. "I think we can do away with formalities, Thete."

He smiled a despaired smile. "Things are that bad, then."

Romana nodded. "They are. I dismissed the Council," she said as she sat down on the windowsill. "They couldn't agree, anyway."

"They never could when it mattered, why should they now when it did?" said Theta as he sat down next to her.

"I decided it was time I made a decision…without them. And I have," Romana said, and her eyes traveled up his frock coat up to his wide and suddenly terrified eyes.

"No…" he said, pushing himself further away from her.

"You are our only hope."

"I've heard that before."

"This time it's true."

He swallowed hard, the tears choking his words as he looked back into her eyes.

"Please, Romana. Is there anything else that can be done?"

"We will hold out as long as is possible, but if they…if the Daleks get through…"

"They won't."

"You can't believe that's true."

"I do," Theta said, but his eyes were on the floor in front of him.

"Thete, please. Take this," Romana said as she stuffed a small object into his hand, giving him no room to protest.

"I won't use it."

"I won't order you to."

"And yet you gave it to me."

"I trust you."

He chuckled mirthlessly, his eyes still on the floor. "Romana. I…" but the words were lost on the way to his mouth, and when he raised his curly head again there were real tears coursing down his face.

"Theta?"

"Please, don't. I don't…"

Romana shook her head, gripped the hand not holding the planetary incendiary bomb, and looked deep into his eyes.

"Theta. You are the most remarkable Time Lord I have ever met. You don't let rules and regulations hold you back. You stand your ground when others on this planet would rather back away and let the Daleks take everything we hold dear."

He was shaking his head at this, denying the praise she was laying on him.

"Those are things that have made me an outcast, Romana."

"Maybe. Maybe. But even as an outcast, the Council always needed you because of whom you are, how different you are."

He shook his head in protest. "This is supposed to make me want to…Rassilon, I can't even say it. I can't do this, Romana. Get someone else to do it," Theta said as he placed the bomb back in her hands, stood up to leave, and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"There is no one else," Romana whispered.

"What?" said Theta, spinning around.

She was shaking with grief and anger now. "I presented the idea to them, each one in turn. And they all turned me away."

"Every one?"

"Every one."

"Rassilon. Every one. Those cowards." Theta said as he sank to his knees in front of Romana, overcome. "But that means…" His eyes met hers, begging for it not to be true.

Romana nodded. "If the whole Council said no, then it falls to the President to do it herself. I can't. They need me to direct the other TARDISes into formation. But you could."

"But I could," Theta said, his voice suddenly dead.

Romana sighed. "I have to go. They need me back in the Council chambers." She dipped down and kissed the Doctor on the cheek as he sat there on the floor in stunned and terrible silence, contemplating the small round bomb that sat in front of him on the seat cushion.


	3. Gift of the Eternals

Gift of the Eternals

It was many years later, after a chance meeting with a woman who had somehow gotten him to marry her in his personal future, when he had the dream.

He hadn't been in that old temple in his dreams for a long time, his mind having dwelt on what came after he had received the bomb from Romana.

It was just as he remembered it; all silver trees and heavenly light and the Other looking contemplatively down at him.

The Doctor relished the fact that he was having a peaceful dream for once and plunked himself down in the middle of the floor, straightening his trench coat out beneath him as he lay happily humming a tune.

He was just getting to the fifth or sixth measure of the second verse when he sensed that there was someone in the temple with him, and opening his eyes he saw Romana, just as he'd left her that last terrible day, that last time he'd spoken to her.

She was turned round, gazing up at the face of the Other, and didn't seem to have noticed him.

He bounced up, fluffing his hair quickly and brushing himself off.

"President Romana?" he said.

She spun around…but there was something different about her eyes. They weren't the blue he'd remembered, but silver like moonshine and the trees that stood outside the door.

The Doctor backed away a bit. "Ah. I see. You're a…"

Her voice was like music, like a waterfall. "Eternal? Yes. I took this form to better converse with you."

"I thought you'd all left this universe."

"Some remained behind. A few."

"How few?"

"Three."

"Hm. Three of you? Time was you guys made us do your bidding," he said airily. "Now you're just as reduced as we are…well, I am."

The Eternal smiled. "I know you are the last."

"Well, certainly not by choice."

"Do you regret living?"

The Doctor grimaced, his handsome features twisting in pain. "I regret living when everyone else died. I regret being here when Gallifrey is gone."

"You regret burning Gallifrey."

"Yes. Every second. Every hour. Every day. I regret," he said, laughing a rueful little laugh. "Isn't that always the way? Me, regretting."

"I do not understand."

"Ah, of course. You don't have emotions, do you? You're so high and mighty you don't feel."

"I do feel. But not as you do."

"So I'm the lesser being here? That's a change."

"I came to deliver a message, but I see you have already received it."

"What message?"

"Your River."

"Ah, yes. River Song," he said, his hands going into his pockets as he paced. "The archaelogist who someday becomes my bondmate. Gets my screwdriver. And then dies saving four thousand people."

"She is important."

"I know."

"She is a gift from us."

"What?"

"We can change time and space. We set your course to coincide with hers, for a little while."

He stood, feet wide apart, frowning at her in confusion. "But why? I don't…"

The Eternal smiled. "We are not blind, Theta Sigma Lungbarrow. We see less than we used to, but we do see. We understand love and devotion better than you ever could."

She paused, waiting for him to mouth off again, and when he just studied her intently she went on.

"You are a reincarnation of the one who stands here. You know this. Your true name lies hidden within his, wrapped within his.

But you are better, stronger than even he was in his time. You are the embodiment of love, Theta. You give it without measure and receive it endlessly. You never hate except that which is unlovable, and even then you are willing to give them another chance. If compassion and mercy are to be held within a being, they are at their height in you."

She paused again, smiling at him, but he just kept looking at her, waiting for the end.

"We gave you River Song because we felt that such love needs to be rewarded. You cannot go on forever without someone to care for you as well."

"But she died. I watched her die," said the Doctor with tears in his eyes.

"You know everything dies, Theta. This is not news to you. She is your gift, a reason for you to continue being, to continue giving love."

"So what do I do?"

"Do as your hearts tell you. Love her. For the short time that you have her. She is rare, and precious. She will become so to you. You have already lost her; treasure the moments that you have her for."

Tears were running freely down his face now. "I will."

The Eternal smiled. "I know you will. Take care, Theta Sigma. You are a bright star in these many galaxies."

The Doctor abruptly awakened with his long frame half-falling out of the jump seat. His legs were wound around the arm rest and his tie was up by his nose. He struggled and wriggled around until his legs came free, but only succeeded in crashing to the floor.

Donna came running when she heard him fall.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Must have…fallen asleep or something," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, beach then? You promised."

"Oh, I can do you better," said the Doctor with a big grin. "How about extonic sunlight and diamond waterfalls?"


End file.
